


A Fiancée for Valentine's Day

by Scribbles_by_Kate



Series: Holiday 'verse [2]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M, Sequel, Valentine's Day Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-14
Updated: 2019-02-14
Packaged: 2019-10-28 11:43:48
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,527
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17786732
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Scribbles_by_Kate/pseuds/Scribbles_by_Kate
Summary: After the events at the cabin at Christmas, Belle and Gold’s relationship is going strong, and Gold decides to take it to the next step, but first he’s whisking Belle away on a romantic holiday. Sequel to A Girlfriend for Christmas.





	1. Chapter 1

'So, it's almost Valentine's Day,' Neal pointed out, having met his father for lunch two days before the big day.

'So it is,' his father agreed. He sipped his coffee, not taking his son's bait.

'You, uh, got plans with Belle?' Neal persisted.

'Neal, I don't know whether I should be relieved that you're happy for us or disturbed that you're so interested in my relationship with your very good friend,' Gold commented.

It was all rather odd. Both his son and his daughter-in-law Emma had been behind his relationship with their friend Belle for months, culminating in Neal telling his mother, Gold's ex-wife Milah, when she showed up unexpectedly for Christmas, that Belle was his, Gold's, girlfriend. Gold had been horrified, but Belle had gone along with the ruse to make life easier for him, and it had led to admissions of love from both of them. They'd been almost inseparable ever since.

Neal laughed. 'Come on, I just want you to be happy. You've got plans, right?'

'Yes, we do, so I'm afraid I can't take Henry for the evening.'

Neal held his hands up. 'Wasn't expecting you to. Hey, you've taken him every Valentine's for the last ten years, you go do your thing with Belle. What  _are_  you doing anyway?'

'I'm taking her away for a few days.'

'Where?'

'Paris, if you must know,' his father returned.

'Nice,' Neal said, impressed. 'Does she know?'

'No, and you're not to tell her.'

'Hey, my lips are sealed, but she's gonna need her passport.'

'Already sorted. Ariel dropped it by yesterday. Now, all Belle has to do is pack a bag. I'll tell her where we're going tonight.'

'Smooth, so you got it all figured out,' Neal approved.

'Yes, I do,' Gold said, pleased with himself.

'And you guys can go be gross in another country for a couple days.'

Gold rolled his eyes.  _This again_. 'Neal, it is not our fault that you were early for crepes last Sunday. You should have said you were coming before we expected you. It's hardly our fault that you walked into what you walked into.' Which had been very enjoyable, until Neal appeared unannounced, making Belle scream and making Gold annoyed at being interrupted as he was just about to make her scream for an entirely different reason. He wasn't sure he'd ever forgive Neal for that.

'Most people keep that in the bedroom, Papa,' Neal said, making a face.

'Son, I have a very unfortunate memory of you and Emma not keeping it in the bedroom,' Gold countered. 'And that was in my house! Consider last Sunday payback.'

Neal smiled, reminiscing. 'Oh, yeah, I remember that. Ok, Papa, I guess that's fair,' he said contritely. 'I shoulda called to say I was stopping by early. You and Belle need your space. I knew she stayed over Saturday nights.'

Gold smiled. 'Apology accepted. Now, I'm sorry, son, but I've got to get back. I've got a meeting with that Gaston fella, and he has a partner he wants me to meet as well.'

'No problem, Papa,' Neal said, 'but before you go, I just wanna tell you it's totally cool with me if my very good friend becomes my stepmom in the near future.'

Gold studied his son. 'Yeah?'

Neal smiled. 'Yeah. You got a ring?'

Gold smiled. 'I might have.'

Neal grinned. 'Nice. Well, I gotta get back too. See you later, Papa.'

Gold watched his son go, smiling fondly.

0

'Mr Gold, Ms French is here to see you.'

'Oh, send her in. Thank you, Kathryn.'

The door opened and in walked Belle. Gold was walking across the room to meet her.

'Sweetheart, what a lovely surprise,' he greeted, kissing her. 'What brings you by?'

'Well, I met Ariel for lunch, and it's my half day anyway, so I thought I'd come and surprise you.' And she draped her arms around his neck, smiling at him.

'Well, you've certainly done that,' he said, and smiled. 'And I'd love to just escape with you for the rest of the afternoon, but I've got a meeting in a few minutes that I really can't skip.'

She sighed. 'Well, can't blame a girl for trying.'

'I'm very glad you did,' he said. 'I've missed you today, and I'd much rather be with you, but this meeting might prove very beneficial financially.'

'Well, then, of course you can't just blow it off, and I wouldn't expect you to. You'll come by later?'

'Wild horses wouldn't keep me away,' he said, putting his arm around her and walking her to the door.

'I love you,' she said.

He kissed her. 'I love you too.'

He opened the door to show her out, and he vaguely registered two figures in suits standing up, but he was still focused on Belle, especially when she tensed as she looked at the two men.

'Greg? Father?'

Gold looked from Belle to his next appointment. Greg Gaston he already knew, but the portly man with cropped grey hair, he had never met before. This must be Gaston's partner, and Belle's father, the father she didn't get along with, the father who belittled her and sneered at her every opportunity he got. Ah, so this was  _that_  Greg, he realised, the Greg her father had wanted her to marry and she'd refused.

'Belle?' Mr French asked.

She turned into Gold now, looking beseechingly up at him.

'That's your father?' he asked her.

She nodded, and he could see that she just wanted to run. She had been brave to cut the man out of her life, but now she was face to face with him when she didn't expect to be: of course she was panicking.

'It's alright,' he promised: 'it's gonna be alright.' She'd helped him deal with his ex-wife last Christmas, and now he could do the same for her.

'Mr Gaston; Mr French, please come in and sit down. We need to have a little chat.'

'Uh, Mr Gold, we're here to discuss business,' Gaston began.

'Ah, well, we'll have to see about that, given the circumstances.'

'What circumstances?' French demanded. 'What's my daughter doing here?'

'Your daughter, for all that you've been a father to her, is my girlfriend, and I know all about you, Mr French. Come in and sit down, please: I won't ask again.'

Gaston and French filed in. Belle looked away from her father's glare.

'Kathryn, please bring Belle some tea,' Gold requested, 'nothing for our visitors: they won't be here long.'

'Yes, Mr Gold,' Kathryn said, standing.

Gold led Belle back in to his office. Holding her hand, he led her to the couch opposite where French and Gaston were sitting. He kept hold of her hand when they sat down, stroking his thumb comfortingly over the back of it.

'I didn't realise who you were when we met, Mr Gaston,' Gold began. 'Belle never mentioned your last name, just that her father had wanted her to marry a man named Greg, whom she didn't love, for what I can only assume to be financial gain.

'You treat your daughter like collateral in a business deal, French?' he demanded.

'It's none of your business,' French claimed.

'I've made it my business,' Gold snapped.

'What the hell do you think you're doing here, Belle?' French demanded.

'I'm living my life the way I've chosen to live it,' she returned, taking strength from the man at her side.

'He's old enough to be your father,' he sneered. 'If you wanted money, Greg would have provided for you.'

'I never loved Greg!' she cried, 'and I'm not in a relationship with Tristan for his money.'

French snorted, rolling his eyes.

'I would be very,  _very_  careful how you proceed here, Mr French,' Gold said with quiet authority. 'This woman is everything to me, and I will not put up with your attempts to belittle or bully her, do you understand me?'

There was a knock at the door then and Kathryn entered with Belle's tea.

'Will there be anything else, Mr Gold?' she asked as she set the tray down.

'Cancel everything for the rest of the day, please, Kathryn, and please ask Dove to come up here.'

'Certainly, Mr Gold.'

'Thank you, Kathryn.'

She went, and Gold focused on making Belle's tea.

'I'm a very powerful man, as I'm sure both of you know, so it's really not a good idea to make me angry when you need my help,' Gold said, after a pregnant pause.

'We want you to negotiate a deal for us,' Gaston corrected.

'Same thing,' Gold said, shrugging. 'Here you go, sweetheart,' he said to Belle, handing her her tea.

'Thank you,' she murmured, taking the cup from him. She'd never seen the deal maker in action before. He was rather compelling. He was clearly the one in control here. It was very attractive, and she'd tell him that if she weren't face to face with her father and seeing him again wasn't upsetting her.

'You need me,' Gold said to Gaston, 'because I'm good at what I do, and I can handle George King. Nobody knows their way around a deal like I do, and that's your luck out, because I don't deal with bullies.'

Gaston shifted in his seat, showing his nervousness. 'That's unfortunate, Mr Gold, for you. This would have been a lucrative deal, involved a big fee for you.'

'Yes, it would have,' Gold agreed, 'but, uh, without me, you've got very little chance of making that deal, so it seems that the ones really losing out here are you.'

'Oh, we'll just take our account to Regina Mills,' Gaston said easily.

'Oh, by all means,' Gold said, just as easily. 'You're welcome to. Regina's very good, but then she would be, because I taught her everything she knows. She's not me, but she's very good.'

'Well, then,' Gaston said. 'I believe we're done here.' He moved to stand.

'Ah, not quite,' Gold said, holding up his hand. 'As I said, I'm a very powerful man. I know a lot of people: I can make things happen…or  _not_  happen. I can call Regina, tell her not to work with you. I can call any negotiator and put them off working with you. The wheels of business don't turn without me, you see, so…' He spread his hands, leaving the two men to figure out the rest for themselves.

'You'd keep us from doing anything because of Belle,' Gaston said.

'Very good,' Gold said, nodding.

'This is no way to do business, Gold,' French said.

'You're not in a position to lecture me on how things are done, French,' Gold returned.

'What do you want?' Gaston asked reasonably: 'how can we bridge this impasse? We need to be able to do business, Gold.'

'Belle and I will have to talk about that,' Gold said, taking her hand. 'And  _now_  we're done here. We'll be in touch. Good afternoon, gentlemen.'

He stood and Belle stood with him. She stared her father down, finding courage from Tristan's touch, and he looked away first. It felt good to have someone in her corner: she hadn't had that when she'd had to fight him years ago.

The door opened and Mr Dove entered. He was a tall, rather severe-looking man, but Belle had known him a while now, and she knew he was devoted to Tristan. He seemed to have a fondness for her too, especially now that she and Tristan were dating. She knew she had nothing to fear from the man, but her father and Greg looked rather uncomfortable.

'Ah, Dove, thank you for coming so promptly,' Gold said. 'Ms French and I would like you to show these gentlemen out.'

'Certainly, Mr Gold,' Dove said: 'Ms French.' He tilted his head respectfully to her, and she realised that he and Tristan were investing her with authority here.

'Thank you, Dove,' she said softly.

'Will there be anything else, miss?' he asked politely.

'No, thank you, not for the moment.'

He nodded. 'Very good. Gentlemen?'

Intimidated by his presence, Gaston and French hurried out. The door closed behind them, and Belle and Gold were left alone.

'Alright?' Gold asked, rubbing her arm.

She nodded. 'How much was that deal worth to you?' she asked.

He shook his head. 'It doesn't matter. You're worth more than any number of deals.'

'How  _much_ , Tristan?' she asked again.

'Somewhere about twenty million,' he said, figuring she wouldn't let it go until he told her.

Her eyes widened. 'God. That's…a lot of money.'

'It's only money,' he said, pulling her closer. 'I'd much prefer to see you happy, sweetheart.'

'You're…you're amazing, you know that?'

'That's always nice to hear,' he said, smiling. 'You think about what you want from them and I'll make sure you get it.'

She shook her head. 'I don't need anything from them except for them not to be around,' she said. 'You preventing them from doing business isn't going to make my father treat me better. He might apologise because you made him, but he wouldn't mean it. I don't care any more anyway. I don't need that man in my life. The only thing I could think of that he could give me would be…' She shook her head. 'It doesn't matter: he'd never give them to me.'

'What does he have?' he asked. 'Tell me and I'll make sure you get them.'

'My mother's books,' she said, 'and some other things he kept. He only kept them because he knew I'd want them.' Her lips trembled and tears sparkled on her lashes.

'Sweetheart,' he murmured, pulling her closer. 'We'll get them back. Why didn't you tell me, love?'

'They're just things, really,' she said, sniffling, 'but they were hers, and he doesn't care about them like I do.'

'Then of course you shall have them, my precious,' he promised, kissing the top of her head.

'Thank you,' she murmured, 'and thank you for what you said to them. I've never seen you in action before: it's very impressive.'

He smiled. 'It's all an act,' he confessed. 'I'm good at it, and it's served me well, but there are more important things in life. Speaking of those more important things, have you packed yet?'

'Not yet,' she said. 'I was sort of hoping you could tell me where we're going so I'd know  _what_  to pack.'

He smiled. 'You mean reveal all my secrets? I don't know about that, now.'

She giggled. 'You're going to have to tell me eventually.'

'This is true,' he agreed. 'I have an idea, why don't we go check out what's in your closet that you might need, hmm?'

'What, now?'

'Right now.'

'But don't you have to work?'

'I cancelled everything else for today, remember?'

'I thought you just meant meetings. Don't you have other work to do?'

'Nothing that can't wait, sweetheart. Let's escape!' And he grinned.

'I'd love to escape with you,' she murmured.

He kissed her.

'Come on, let's go,' he said, taking her hand.

She laughed. 'You're so much fun,' she said then, smiling at him.

'I'm glad to hear it,' he said, hugging her to him as he led her out.

'Kathryn, I'm going to take Belle home. Do you have plans with Fred for Valentine's Day?'

'He tells me he has something up his sleeve,' she said, smiling.

'Good, well, go get started on that early. I won't be back today, and you know Belle and I will be away for the rest of the week, so there's no reason for you to be here either. Take a break, paid, of course. I'll see you on Monday.'

'Thank you, Mr Gold,' Kathryn replied, pleased.

'Bye Kathryn,' Belle said, smiling.

'Have a nice vacation, Ms French, and you too, Mr Gold.'

Gold smiled and led Belle towards the elevator.

'That was nice of you,' Belle murmured.

Gold smiled. 'Kathryn's the best assistant anyone could ask for. I like to keep her happy.'

Belle smiled.

0

'Ok, let's see here,' Gold said, opening her closet. 'Well, you'll need a coat, a pair of boots for walking, gloves and a scarf, jeans and jumpers, a hat. Then for evening, a couple of dresses, those high heels you love so much, another coat, and whatever else you think you'll need.'

Belle smiled. 'So, you gonna take me out to a fancy restaurant for dinner?' she asked.

He smiled cryptically. 'Mmm, that could be on the cards.'

'And, uh, what about the evenings we don't go out: what should I pack for those?'

He slipped his arms around her waist. 'Well I wouldn't think you'd need to pack very much for those, but why don't you surprise me, hmm?'

She giggled. 'A surprise it is,' she said, and kissed him. 'Now, go sit down or you'll distract me and I'll forget something.'

He smiled and did as she bade him, lying on the bed and watching her select things from her closet and put them in her suitcase.

'I could get used to this, you know,' he said.

'What's that?'

'You packing so I can take you on a trip.'

'Much as I'd love to travel the world with you, darling, we both have to work.' And she closed her suitcase. 'Ok, I just need toiletries and a few other things, which I can sort out later.' She lifted her suitcase down off the bed and lay down beside him.

'I know you love the library,' Gold said softly, 'but if I wanted to show you the world, would you let me?'

She studied him. 'You mean take a leave of absence so we could travel together?' she asked. He nodded. 'What about you? You can't just leave your work.'

'Actually, I could leave it very easily,' he said, taking her hand. 'This thing between us has made me rethink my priorities.' He intertwined their fingers. 'I could leave it all behind tomorrow, Belle, for you.'

'Tristan,' she breathed, her heart beating fast. 'Your life's work… Would you really just let all that go?'

'In a heartbeat,' he said.

'But why?'

'Because I love you, and I'm not getting any younger. I want a life. I want it with you.'

'Me too,' she said, possibilities for paths and adventures they could take together forming in her mind. She bit her lip, excited at the prospect of travelling with him, of a life with him. It had been less than two months since they got together, but she knew she wanted to be with him forever.

Gold smiled and kissed her. She rolled onto her back and pulled him to her, hooking her leg around his.

'Love you,' she breathed. 'Want you.'

They undressed and made love. Gold had it on the tip of his tongue to ask her to marry him, but he managed not to.  _Just a few days_ , he told himself: he only had to wait a few more days.

'Tristan!' Belle cried. He was so deep inside her, and it felt absolutely incredible. This intensity, on top of all that talk about showing her the world, had her head spinning.

'You feel so good, angel,' he breathed. 'So tight, so warm. I can't hold on. God! Come for me, my beautiful Belle: let me feel you.'

His thrusts were harder now, faster, his hips circling into her, grinding against her, making everything feel good, and she broke around him with a loud wail of his name, which made him come, shouting her name too.

'Oh, God,' Belle gasped, as they rode their orgasms out together. 'Tristan, that was amazing.'

He kissed her shoulders and breasts and neck. 'You're incredible,' he breathed. 'Nothing feels so good as making love with you.'

'You're so good at it,' she said, only half aware of what she was saying, but she wouldn't have taken it back anyway.

He laughed a bit. 'And so are you.' He sighed. 'Ah, Belle, you make me feel twenty years younger.'

She giggled. 'No one would guess you were any older than me with your energy.'

He hummed, amused. 'I'm just happy to be able to keep up with you.'

'Me? I'm lucky I can keep up with you!'

He laughed and hugged her, both of them quiet as they cuddled together.

After a while, Belle kissed his cheek.

'I'm gonna take a shower. You wanna join me?'

'And you say  _you're_  lucky you can keep up with  _me_?' he asked.

She giggled and stood up. She got to the bathroom door and turned.

'Aren't you coming?'

He jumped up and chased after her, making her laugh and then squeal when he caught up with her.

0

'Ok, that's everything,' Belle said. She'd finished packing her suitcase and she was dressed to go with Tristan.

'Oh, not quite,' he said.

'No? What else do I need?' She thought it all through. 'No, I'm sure I've got everything, Tristan.'

He came towards her, his hand in his coat pocket. He was smiling.

'You're gonna need this,' he said, producing her passport.

'My passport? How did you get that?' Her eyes widened. 'Wait, where are you taking me?'

'Well, I was gonna tell you, but I think I'll keep you in suspense a bit longer.'

'Tristan!' she cried. 'Where are we going?' she demanded.

He only laughed. 'You'll see,' he said then. 'Are you ready to go?'

'We're leaving right now?' she asked.

'We are. My bag's already in the car.'

She stared at him. 'I didn't know you were so sneaky.'

He smirked. 'Well, as they say, you ain't seen nothin' yet.'

'Oh, my God, what else have you got planned?'

He shook his head. 'You'll see.'

'Tristan Gold, you are…the most amazing man I've ever met,' she said, grabbing the lapels of his coat and pulling him to her.

She reached up and kissed him deeply. He kissed her back for a long moment, but then pulled back.

'Much as I'd love to continue that, we need to get going. We're on a schedule.'

He pulled away and grabbed her suitcase. 'Well, shall we?'

She smiled brightly and took his hand.

0

'A private jet? What on earth?'

Gold smiled at Belle as they crossed the Tarmac to the plane that was waiting for them.

'Welcome, Mr Gold; Ms French,' the pilot greeted. 'Please.' He gestured to them to board, which they did, and were welcomed by two stewardesses.

Belle was amazed at the comfort of the cabin. Looking around, she saw two comfortable seats, a table between them, a drinks cabinet, and a screen on the wall.  _How the other half lives_ , she mused to herself.

'Tristan, I can't believe all this,' she said, turning to look at him. 'You didn't have to go to all this trouble.'

'I wanted to,' he said. 'You're worth all of this and more, Belle. Now, let's sit down. Are you hungry?'

'I couldn't eat right now,' she demurred, 'I'm too excited.'

He smiled.

'Perhaps you'd like a drink, Ms French?' one of the stewardesses, who'd introduced herself as Elsa, suggested.

'Actually, that would be amazing,' Belle said, feeling like maybe a drink would calm her down. She wasn't nervous, but Tristan had thrown a lot of surprises at her in a short space of time, and she wanted to relax so she could savour them.

Elsa smiled. 'What would you like?'

'Um…'

'How about some Champagne?' Gold suggested.

Belle smiled and agreed.

Elsa poured two glasses. Gold took them and handed one to Belle.

'What shall we drink to?' he asked.

'To you, for doing all of this,' she said.

'Or to you for making me brave enough to do all this,' he countered.

She smiled.

'How about to us,' he said then, 'to the first of our adventures together.'

She clinked her glass against his. 'Cheers.'

'Cheers, sweetheart.'

0

They'd been in the air for a few hours. Their pilot had just come on to say that they would reach their destination in about another hour. Belle was disgruntled because she couldn't get any information about where they were going from anyone.

'How about a hint?' she wheedled.

Gold laughed. 'If I give you a hint, you'll guess it immediately, you're that clever. It's not much longer, my sweet. You'll see soon enough. Come here,' he requested then, holding out his hand to her.

Belle debated whether she would or not, but in the end, she just couldn't resist him. She stood and let him pull her into his lap.

'Mmm, that's better,' he murmured, burying his face in her hair. 'You smell wonderful.'

She smiled and wrapped her arms around him. 'So do you. I wanna wear that shirt in the morning.'

He squeezed her a bit. 'You know I love it when you wear my shirts.'

'I love having your smell on me,' she said.

He kissed her neck. 'I love knowing that means you're mine,' he murmured.

She smiled, stroking her fingers through his hair.

Nearly an hour later the captain came on the radio again.

'Ms French; Mr Gold, we'll be landing soon, but it's a clear night, so if you look to your right, you should get your first glimpse of our destination.'

Belle craned her neck to look back over her shoulder. Gold pushed a button to move the seats around, and now they could both see city lights.

'Where are we?' Belle wondered, trying to figure it out.

Gold leaned over to her. 'Look over there, sweetheart,' he breathed in her ear: 'do you recognise that?'

He'd pointed to a rather famous landmark, one that Belle would almost certainly know.

She gasped. 'The Eiffel Tower! Paris?' She looked at Gold. 'You brought me to Paris for Valentine's Day?'

He smiled. 'Surprise.'

She kissed him; then pulled back. 'Oh, you…' She couldn't find words, so she kissed him again.

He pulled away, laughing. 'I take it you're pleased?'

'Pleased? Are you kidding me? I can't believe you did all this. I mean,  _Paris_ … Tristan, this must be costing you a fortune!'

'You're worth it,' he said. 'Happy Valentine's Day, sweetheart.'

She stroked his cheek. 'Happy Valentine's Day, love.' She kissed him again.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This time: Belle is enchanted, and so is Gold.

Belle's heart was in her mouth as they drove through the streets of Paris. It was a cold night, but she'd rolled the window down anyway, and was marvelling at all the sights.

Gold was smiling at her wonder.

'I think perhaps you'll never want to leave,' he teased.

She turned to him, a radiant smile on her face.

'It's just… I always wanted to see the world, and now I'm here, with you, and that's the best part.' She squeezed his hand. 'I love you more than anything,' she murmured.

He pulled her closer. 'I love you more than life itself, my darling,' he whispered, and then kissed her.

Belle slipped her hands inside his coat and then inside his jacket, determined to get to bare skin.

Gold groaned into the kiss. 'We don't have time,' he breathed against her lips. We'll be at the hotel in a few minutes.'

Belle whined. 'I want to touch you,' she breathed.

'I know. I want to touch you too. Soon, sweetheart.' He kissed her again.

0

He had really outdone himself with this hotel. The opulence and the luxury were spectacular. Belle had never been anywhere so grand. Their room was more like an apartment, a very large, exclusive one, which Belle could never afford in a million years. She was amazed.

She gasped now. She'd seen lights through the balcony window and she'd opened the door and stepped out, and there, right before her, was the Eiffel Tower.

'Oh, my God,' she breathed, gazing upon the famous landmark. Her heart skipped a beat at the sight.

'You are going to freeze,' Gold scolded, draping his coat over her shoulders. He stood right behind her, his heat seeping into her.

'No, I won't,' she disagreed. 'My goodness, Tristan, you think I could feel the cold when I'm here in this city with you, and there is  _that_  outside our window?' And she gestured towards the tower. She turned to him now. 'You are definitely getting lucky tonight.'

He laughed. 'I get lucky almost every night,' he reminded her.

'Oh, but I mean  _extra_  lucky,' she breathed. She put her hand on his chest and pushed him back through the door.

'Belle,' he murmured, 'what are you planning?'

'You'll see,' she said, removing the coat and throwing it over the couch. 'Come here,' she requested.

He went. She stripped off his jacket, vest, and tie, and unbuttoned his shirt, pulling the tails from the waistband. Then she unbuckled his belt.

'Sweetheart,' he whispered, his breathing shaky.

'Shh,' she crooned. 'Just let me do this for you, baby,' she murmured. 'Sit right down here,' she said, taking his hand and leading him over to the chaise placed at the end of the four poster bed.

Gold sat, watching as Belle kicked off her boots. She grabbed a cushion off a nearby chair and dropped it on the floor at her feet. He groaned. He wasn't going to last.

'Belle, angel, I'm so turned on as it is, I'm not going to last for you.'

'Sh, don't worry,' she soothed. 'Just relax, honey.' She straddled his lap, leaning over him, but not sitting.

He moaned. 'Oh, sweetheart.'

She kissed him. He gasped as she kissed her way down his chest, coming to her knees between his legs. She undid his fly and he groaned.

'Mmm, so big,' she breathed appreciatively, taking him out. She leaned in and kissed him near the tip. He whined. 'Ready for me, honey?' she asked.

'You know I am,' he growled, trying to breathe and calm himself.

'So beautiful,' she murmured, putting her lips around him. She focused on his pleasure, swirling her tongue the way he liked.

He was wrecked. Even the sight of her on her knees, aside from what she was actually doing to him with that delectable mouth, was nearly enough to make him come.

'Oh, gorgeous,' he panted now, 'so good. Nearly there: mmm.'

Belle's hand came up to caress his balls, her other hand stroking and squeezing the length she couldn't reach with her mouth. She moaned around him, the vibration going through him.

He tried not to, but he couldn't keep from canting his hips up, pushing her backwards.

She rubbed her hands over his thighs, coaxing him back.

'Sorry sweetheart,' he gasped.

Belle smiled, liking his eagerness. She kept up her ministrations, hollowing her cheeks.

'Oh, God,  _Belle_!' He tensed, and then she felt it, ropes of thick cum hitting her tongue.

She swallowed it down and took him through his orgasm, keeping her mouth and hand moving until he leaned back against the bottom of the bed, panting and spent. She let him slip from her mouth, sitting back on her heels.

'Fuck,' he breathed, dazed. 'I'll take you anywhere you like, babe, if that's the thanks I get.'

She giggled, tucking him back in before climbing up into his lap.

'Believe it or not, that wasn't actually how I planned to thank you for whisking me away,' she confided.

'It wasn't?'

She shook her head. 'That was just a spur of the moment thank you when I saw where you actually whisked me away to. What I have actually planned is a little more involved.'

'What is it?' he asked, interested.

'Ooh, coming back to life already, are we?' she asked, smirking.

'Can't seem to stop when you're around, my beauty,' he returned, his hands cupping her bottom.

She undulated against him a little. 'Well,' she breathed, biting her lip, 'you see, I can't reveal all my secrets now, can I?' And, smirking, she patted his chest and climbed off his lap.

'Christ,' he muttered.

She laughed. 'You'll just have to wait a little for your surprise,' she said.

He smiled at her. 'No matter, I've got plenty of surprises in store for you.'

She stared at him. 'I hate you,' she declared, meaning that she hated how good he was at keeping secrets. He knew this, and smiled fondly.

He caught her hand and pulled her to him.

'Yeah? Well, come on and show me how much you hate me.'

She kissed him hard.

0

Belle cuddled closer to Tristan as she woke, and then she remembered that they were in neither his bed nor hers: they weren't even in the United States.

'Oh, my God!' she cried.

Gold laughed. 'Hmm, should I be worried? What were you dreaming of that made you react like that?'

She shook her head. 'You know what made me react like that, you impossible man.' She smiled at him. ' _Paris_ , Tristan! I feel like I'm dreaming.'

He laughed again. 'Definitely not dreaming, sweetheart.'

She scooted up for a kiss, lingering over it.

'Mmm, if you're planning on us getting out of bed today, I'd stop that,' Gold warned.

She bit her lip, making him groan. 'Well, I do love you, but I do want to see the city, so I'm afraid that means I've got to stop.'

He smiled. 'Perfectly fine with me,' he said. 'How about breakfast and then we'll see about seeing the sights?'

Her smile was soft. 'Did I mention I love you?'

'You may have, once or twice,' he teased, playing with a lock of her hair. 'Come on, don't look at me like that or I won't be able to let go of you. Go and shower.'

'Coming in with me?' she asked.

'No,' he said. 'We'll never get out if I do.'

She pouted.

'M-m,' he said firmly. 'Go,' he insisted.

'Oh, alright, I'm going,' she grumbled.

Gold lay back, willing himself to think of something other than her naked in the shower. He really would keep her in bed all day, and he knew she'd let him, even though they were in this beautiful city and she was longing to see all they could. He'd just have to be strong and insist on them actually seeing the sights while they were here. Belle would thank him in the end.

0

Gold had ordered breakfast to be sent up to their room, so when Belle emerged from the shower, it was all laid out on the table. Light French breads and pastries, fruit, hot chocolate: it all looked divine and delicious, and Belle kissed her amazing boyfriend for his thoughtfulness.

Gold took a shower and joined her at breakfast.

'So, have you thought about where you'd like to go today?' he asked.

Belle's eyes lit up. 'Well, I want to see the Louvre, and visit the Eiffel Tower, and see the Tuileries Garden, oh, and Versailles, and—'

Gold had begun to laugh.

'Sorry,' she said sheepishly. Ok, so she'd wanted to visit Paris forever, and there was so much she wanted to see.

Gold shook his head and reached for her hand. 'No, don't be sorry, sweetheart. Honestly, I love that you're so excited. It's just that there's no way we'll fit all that into one day.'

She laughed a bit. 'No, I know. I just meant while we're here, not all at once.'

He smiled. 'Well, over the course of our visit is certainly manageable, but where shall we start?'

She thought for a bit. 'You know, I'd really just like to get a feel for the city, experience the atmosphere. Could we just walk, see where we end up?'

'I love that idea,' he said.

So, that was what they ended up doing. Setting off from their hotel, they wandered the streets round about the Eiffel Tower. Every time Belle caught sight of that structure, towering over the other buildings, she caught her breath, and Gold decided they'd visit it before they went back to the hotel to get ready for dinner.

They wandered on, now down cobbled streets; now onto wide boulevards. Belle was enchanted by the beauty of the architecture, by the elegance of it all. Gold was enchanted by her enchantment. Yes, he was definitely going to make whisking her away a regular thing, anything to see her look so happy.

She charmed him, as they walked around, with all she knew about the architecture and the history of the city. Every time she began a sentence with 'Did you know…' he would smile and say 'Tell me'. She was clever and beautiful, and he'd never been more in love.

Belle, for her part, was in her element. Not only was she in this gorgeous city, but she was here with the person she loved most in the world. Tristan was everything she'd ever wanted, and she cuddled close to his side, her hand tucked into his elbow, and walked along with him in a happy daze.

Stopping for lunch on the Champs-Élysées, they savoured the best of French cuisine. Then they wandered along the tree-lined boulevard, ending up at the Arc de Triomphe, before Gold steered them back in the direction of the Eiffel Tower.

'Let's see the view from the top of the tower,' he said, at Belle's quizzical look, and she beamed in delight, hugging his arm and almost dancing along in her excitement. Gold had to laugh.

'Oh, my God, it's spectacular,' Belle breathed, looking out over the city from the top of the tower. 'You can see  _everything_.'

Standing behind her, Gold smiled into her hair. Beautiful as the city was, all he cared about was right here in his arms.

'There's Montmartre and Sacré Coeur,' Belle said, 'and I can see Pont-Neuf, and the Arc de Triomphe and the Champs-Élysées, and the Seine, of course. It's all so beautiful.'

But, as enraptured as she was, the best part of this whole trip was the man who held her in his embrace. She turned now and wrapped her arms around him.

'And this is the best part,' she murmured, kissing him.

Gold kissed her. He thought about changing his plans and asking her, right here, to marry him, but he decided against it. Tomorrow was Valentine's Day, and he had a plan.

0

They went out to dinner, a decision Gold almost regretted when he heard the noises Belle made at the delicious food. Walking back to the hotel, he couldn't refrain from kissing her passionately, so that they were both well and truly worked up by the time they got there. Which was why Gold was surprised when Belle pulled away.

'Go have a drink in the bar,' she instructed, catching her breath.

He'd really rather not. 'Belle…'

'Go on,' she coaxed. 'Please? For me?'

'Anything for you,' he growled, and reached for another kiss. She held him off, though.

'Not yet,' she breathed. 'Go on. You'll like what I have planned: I promise.'

He was quite sure he would. He shuddered in anticipation of it and went off obediently to the bar, where he had a Scotch to try to calm his nerves.

Ten minutes later, he felt a gentle hand on his arm.

'You must be Mr Gold,' a voice murmured, and he turned.

It was Belle, of course, still wearing her coat, and she'd fixed her lipstick and tidied her hair. She'd called him Mr Gold… His heart thumped. Clearly, she had some game in mind that he should play along with to their mutual satisfaction.

'I am,' he said, 'and who might you be?' He looked her up and down appraisingly, letting her know he liked what he saw.

She stepped a little closer. 'Madame sent me,' she murmured: 'she thought you might like me.'

He smirked. 'Well,  _Madame_  was quite right.'

She smiled. 'Shall we…?' She tilted her head towards the elevators.

He nodded and followed her.

Belle was pleased he was playing along. She could only hope he'd like what she had in mind.

She led him into their room, where she'd placed a chair near the bed. She had music queued up on her phone too.

'May I help you off with your coat?' Gold asked, wanting desperately to see what she had on under it. It wasn't her dress from dinner anyway, because he'd seen that poking out from under her coat. Whatever she was wearing now was shorter. He was longing to see what it was.

'Oh, not just yet,' Belle said easily. 'Why don't you make yourself comfortable on that chair, Mr Gold, and just enjoy the show,' she suggested.

Gold did as he was bid, and watched her. She turned her back to him.

'What's your name?' he asked.

Belle smirked. She looked over her shoulder coyly. 'Why, it's whatever you want it to be, sugar,' she said.

Gold groaned at the sultry sound of her voice and she smiled.

'Now, just relax, sweetheart, and enjoy,' she coaxed, and pressed play on her phone.

Gold watched in amazement as she did a sexy striptease. She turned to him, unbelting and unbuttoning her coat slowly, seductively, her eyes on him. But, before he could see what she wore beneath the coat, she turned away. Looking over her shoulder at him, she lowered the coat slowly, slowly, until, finally, he saw that she was wearing a deep red nightgown that came to halfway to her knee. Ok, how come he hadn't seen her packing that? Minx must have wrapped it up in something else so he couldn't see it. Sneaky!

Belle smiled as he swallowed hard. He was sitting on the edge of his seat, staring at her. It was incredibly intoxicating to be so obviously wanted, and, much as she'd wanted to turn him on, she found herself aroused too, very much so. She didn't know if she'd be able to see this thing through to the end, but she had planned it, so she would try.

She turned to face him and he gasped. The back of the nightie was mostly silk, with a little lace at the hem and on the straps and the top edge The front, though, was almost all lace and some kind of gauzy see-through material that really left nothing to the imagination. He'd be able to see her completely through it, but for some strategic placement of lace and the tiny matching panties she wore.

'God,' he choked out.

'You like it?' she asked softly.

' _Like_  it?' he growled. 'Oh, I like it alright. Can't you tell?'

She smirked, because, yes, she could tell. She could distinctly see the bulge in his pants, which pleased her, given what was coming.

Gold nearly lost his mind as she began to move sensuously. She ran her hands over her body, moving to the music. Damn, that nightgown fitted her like a second skin, cupping her breasts and her shapely waist, and her arse…

He moaned as she turned, shimmying, her hand sliding down, down, and she gasped as she cupped herself, which made him swear. Where on earth had she learned to do this? God, he was so turned on!

'You've done this before,' he said, his voice low.

She shook her head. 'First time,' she said, smiling as his eyes grew, if possible, even darker. 'I'd only do this for one man,' she said, and she moved closer, putting her hands on his shoulders. 'Ready for the next part?' she asked, leaning in.

'Oh, God,' he groaned, guessing what was coming.

Belle smirked at the look on his face.

'I suppose I can't touch?' he asked.

She shook her head, her hair tickling his cheek. 'Not until I say.'

'Christ,' he groaned. 'You're killing me,' he complained, and he looked her over. 'But, fuck, what a way to go.'

She smiled and began to move over him, gyrating and undulating, and generally making it very difficult for him to keep control of himself. He could only watch her in amazement for a while. She was absolutely incredible. This would certainly live long in his memory.

'Where'd you learn to do this?' he questioned finally, trying to get his breath. He figured making conversation might distract him from what was going on in his pants.

Belle's cheeks were flushed. They flushed even more at the question.

'I, uh, did a little research,' she confessed.

'Oh, my God,' he breathed, imagining her watching videos of… And now he was even more turned on.

'Do you mind?' she asked, a little worried that he would.

He shook his head vigorously. 'Just, uh, next time you wanna do research, maybe I could…join you.'

She bit her lip, eyes twinkling. He stared up at her.

'You are so sexy,' he breathed admiringly.

'Thank you, Mr Gold,' she returned, back in character. 'You're very sexy too. I'm not supposed to play favourites, you know, but I like you.'

He smiled. 'I like you too.'

Belle smiled, seeing the depth of his feelings for her, even as lust-clouded as his eyes were.

'Do you want to touch me?' she asked.

'Very much so,' he said.

She lowered herself a little, rubbing against him deliberately, where before she'd only teased him. They both gasped.

'God, Belle, I don't think I can take any more teasing,' he said, struggling to rein himself in.

'Not teasing,' she breathed, her chest heaving. 'Think I've teased you enough.'

'So I can touch you?' he asked.

'Yes,' she said, 'please.'

He needed no further invitation. Wrapping his arms around her, he stood and carried her to the bed, where they wasted no time in satisfying their heightened desire for each other.

**Next time: a proposal, Belle does a deal, and another surprise**


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This time: a proposal, a confident Belle taking out the trash (plus an enamoured Gold), and one final surprise :)

Belle smiled at the feeling of lips on her neck.

'Tristan,' she whispered, turning her head for a kiss. He obliged.

'Good morning. Happy Valentine's Day, my love.'

She smiled again. 'Happy Valentine's Day, darling.'

'So, last night,' he began.

She blushed a bit, amazed at her own daring. 'Yes?'

He didn't go on for a moment, and she grew nervous. 'Too much?' she asked.

'No!' he said at once. 'No, Belle, God, it was amazing.  _You_  were amazing. Any time you want to take control like that, please feel free. It was incredible: thank you.'

'You're welcome,' she murmured. 'I'm glad you enjoyed it. I just wanted to do something special for you. It was really good for you?'

'Couldn't you tell?' he asked cheekily.

She laughed a bit. Their lovemaking had been pretty intense after her little striptease and lap dance. He'd certainly shown his appreciation. They'd both enjoyed themselves very much.

She kissed him, which led to other things, so they had a very late breakfast that morning.

0

Gold had made plans for the evening, which he wouldn't tell Belle about, much to her chagrin, but when he suggested a trip to the Louvre for the afternoon, her attention was diverted.

Once again, she was enchanted. Seeing pictures of all these incredible works of art couldn't compare to the wonder of seeing them up close. The majesty and the artistry were humbling, and she loved the fact that, bleak as the world could be, people could create such beautiful things. It was heartening.

Of course, she had to see the famous Mona Lisa with her enigmatic smile. There was quite a crowd around the painting, though, and Gold resolved to see about a private tour, where Belle could see it properly.

Aside from Da Vinci's masterpiece, there were many, many artworks to see. Among the multitude they marvelled at were the Venus de Milo and the statue of Cupid and Psyche by Canova.

'It's erotic, isn't it?' Belle whispered, staring at the winged god leaning over Psyche and her reaching up into the kiss.

'It is,' Gold agreed, kissing her neck, smiling as she shivered in pleasure.

They saw so much, but Belle could have spent the whole day there, wandering around. She was happy enough, though, to head back to the hotel for whatever Tristan's surprise was.

No matter what she tried, she couldn't get the secret out of him, so she was very excited when they stepped into the elevator, dressed to go out.

Tristan had told her she wouldn't need her coat, so she was rather surprised when, instead of descending, the elevator ascended a few floors.

The doors opened and they exited, and then, rounding a corner, Belle gasped.

It was a heated rooftop terrace, hung with lights, a table set for two, and in her eyeline was the Eiffel Tower once again, the twinkling lights of Paris spread below.

'Tristan!' she cried, turning to him.

'Surprise,' he said simply, once again, a satisfied smile playing on his lips.

Her eyes welled up and she gasped in surprise at her emotional reaction. She'd just…never expected to be loved so much.

'Hey,' Gold murmured, taking her into his arms. 'What is it, sweetheart?'

She shook her head. 'It's so silly,' she said, laughing at herself. She looked up at him. 'Just…no one ever loved me like this.'

He smiled tenderly. 'I'll love you forever,' he murmured. He knew it wasn't exaggeration: there would be no one else for him.

'And I'll love  _you_  forever,' she said, voice wavering with emotion.

He kissed her. The little velvet box in his pocket was calling to him, but he decided to wait just a little bit longer.

'Are you hungry?' he asked. And, as he did so, a waiter appeared, ready to cater to their every cuisine-related want.

Belle smiled and allowed Tristan to pull out her chair for her. Then the two of them enjoyed a wonderfully romantic dinner.

0

'Oh, I'm so full,' Belle said, leaning back in her chair.

'Will there be anything more, Monsieur: Mademoiselle?' the waiter asked politely.

'Sweetheart?' Gold asked.

'Oh, I couldn't eat another bite,' Belle said. 'Merci beaucoup, monsieur: c'était délicieux.'

The waiter smiled and nodded.

Gold reached into his inside pocket and pulled out a bill. He handed it to the young man, who nodded again, smiled, and left. He would return when they were gone to clear away.

Gold stood up. Belle watched, wondering what he was at. He walked off to the side and then music began to play. He'd arranged for a record player to be brought up.

Her eyes widened, but she smiled at Gold's smile as he returned.

'Care to dance?' he asked.

'I would love to,' Belle murmured, and, stepping into his embrace, she slow danced with him for a long while.

Gold had been quiet for ages, but now he spoke.

'I've been doing a lot of thinking since we got together, Belle,' he said, looking at her as she looked up, giving him her full attention, 'and, for the first time in my life, I know what I truly want.'

'And what's that?' she asked wonderingly, eyes wide.

'You,' he said simply.

She smiled, blinking, her emotion getting the better of her again.

'I want to wake up beside you every morning, lie down beside you at night. I want to show you the world. I want a family with you.' He smiled at the joy on her face. It was as if she hadn't expected this. Well, Belle would never presume. It was a mark of her own lingering self doubt that she didn't assume she was what he wanted.

'So…'

She watched as he stepped away, his hand going into his pocket.

'What are you…?' She gasped as he knelt and took her hand.

He smiled. 'Belle, I must ask you… Will you marry me?'

'Yes!' she cried, pulling him up and flinging her arms around his neck. 'Yes, yes, yes!'

He laughed. 'So, that's a yes?'

Instead of answering, she kissed him fiercely.

He pulled away before it could go much further, though. 'Hold on, we need to make it official.'

And now Belle noticed the box in his hand. He opened it to reveal a diamond ring, the cluster of diamonds like a flower.

'Oh!' she cried, putting her hands to her mouth.

Gently, he pried her left hand away. She trembled in excitement as he slipped the ring onto her finger.

'It's so beautiful,' she sobbed.

'Only the most beautiful ring would be good enough for my Belle,' he said tenderly.

She kissed him for a long moment. Then, grabbing his hand, she pulled him towards the elevator. She planned to show him just how much she loved him and how happy she was. Gold was only too happy to follow his beautiful fiancée's lead.

He followed behind her with a goofy grin on his face. She'd said yes! Belle was going to be his wife. He'd never been so happy.

0

Belle returned from Paris buoyant and confident. It was amazing what the love of another person could do for your self esteem, and Belle felt brave and ready for anything, including facing her father one final time.

'Are you absolutely sure about this?' Gold asked worriedly, as they waited in his office for her father to show up. 'You know I'm happy to deal with him for you.'

She stroked her hand over his chest, admiring her beautiful ring again.

'I know,' she acknowledged, 'but I must do this by myself.'

'Alright,' he said, kissing her forehead, 'but if he upsets you, I'll kick his arse.'

She laughed at the image, though she didn't doubt that he could do it.

'Thank you,' she said, kissing him.

Her father was announced and Gold retreated to the couch, leaving Belle to take her seat behind his desk. They'd worked it all out: her father wouldn't expect to see her in control and would be wrong-footed. He would soon see that he would not be able to intimidate her any longer. Gold was there to provide moral support, but Belle would do all the talking.

Sure enough, her father was surprised to see her seated at Gold's desk like she owned the place.

'What is this?' he demanded.

Gold smirked. He could spot nervousness a mile off. French didn't stand a chance against Belle, who was glorious on her throne.

'I'm not going to beat about the bush,' Belle said, looking dispassionately at her father. How he'd made her feel was in the past. Tristan was her future. After today, she would never have to see her father again.

'What is this, Gold?' French demanded, turning to the other man in the room, investing him with authority, much to Gold's annoyance.  _Misogynistic prick_ , he thought.

He shook his head. 'You're not dealing with me today, French: you're dealing with her.' And he pointed to Belle.

'I'm not wasting my time—'

'You want to be able to do business, don't you?' Belle asked, talking over him. 'Ah, that got your attention.' Her father had turned to look at her.

'What do you want?' he demanded irritably.

'I'd be a little more polite if I were you,' Belle said, 'because I'm the one holding your future to ransom.

'Your boyfriend's the one with the power,' her father sneered.

'Fiancé,' Belle corrected, holding up her left hand. 'Soon-to-be husband. And Tristan only threatened you because he's in love with me. If you were anyone else, he'd do that deal with you and you could go on your merry way. I'm the lynchpin here, whether you like it or not. So, are you ready to hear my terms?'

She looked mildly at him as he looked like he wanted to argue. His face went various shades of red as he got angry and tried to think things through.

'What do you want?' he demanded uncharitably, hating that he was beaten.

'I want Mother's books,' Belle said immediately, 'and I want all the other things you kept out of spite, and you'd better still have them, because if you've gotten rid of even one thing, you're never making this or any other deal, and you can tell Greg that you're the one to blame for it.'

Her father looked at her, incredulous. 'All this drama over some sentimental crap?' he demanded, furious.

Gold thought Belle was going to break down. Her lips trembled, and she paled a little, but she pulled herself together, a flush coming into her cheeks and a fire igniting in her eyes.

_That's my Belle_ , he thought admiringly.

'You know how much I miss her,' she said: 'you know how much she meant to me, and you kept her things from me to be cruel. None of it means anything to you.'

'This is bullcrap,' he growled. 'You've always been oversensitive. Let me tell you, my girl, I have better things to do than deal with your tantrums.'

'You never wanted to deal with me,' she said. 'You never cared what I thought or how I felt. You never comforted me when Mother died. You bullied me and belittled me every chance you could, and I, because I loved you, gave in, hoping that it would make you love me, make you respect me, but it never did. Well, now I'm done. I'm getting married to a wonderful man, who loves me, and I'm going to have a family of my own, and you won't be part of it. I'll be happy and you'll be alone with your anger and resentment, and, one day, you'll get tired of being alone, and you'll be sorry for how you treated me, and maybe, if you're really sorry, I'll forgive you, but, for right now, I want you out of my life.

'Send Mother's things here by the end of the week and then Tristan will do that deal for you. Those are my terms. Whether or not you accept them is up to you, but I think you will, because if there's anything you truly love, it's money. That's it. We're done here. You can go.' And Belle turned away, her heart pounding.

She didn't turn around. Gold watched French falter, unsure what to do.

Gold wanted to go to Belle, thinking she was upset, but he couldn't undermine her authority at the same time, so he stayed seated on the couch.

French stood for a long moment, seemingly wanting to retaliate. His face was going all shades of red again. Finally, though, the fight seemed to go out of him and he seemed to diminish in stature.

Belle could actually feel that happening, even though she wasn't looking at him. So familiar was she with his power over her and her fear of his resentment and displeasure, that she felt the moment that all that…went away. The atmosphere lightened and she was free. Oh, did that feel good!

Seeming to understand that there was nothing he could say to hurt her any more, French turned and left, head bowed.

'Belle?' Gold asked urgently, standing and going to her.

She turned the chair and looked at him. She didn't look upset. She looked a little drained, but tranquil. She even managed a smile.

'That felt amazing,' she said. 'Now I know how you felt with Milah last Christmas,' she said. 'God, I'm free of him.' She closed her eyes and smiled. 'I'm free.'

'Yes,' Gold murmured, crouching down in front of her. 'Belle, you were incredible,' he breathed. Seeing her in control like that…

She opened her eyes and saw him crouched at her feet, staring intently at her.

'Tristan…' He had that look in his eyes, like she was the best thing he'd ever seen.

'It suits you, you know,' he said, his voice low.

'What does?' she wondered.

'This chair, the role of dealmaker: you look like a queen on her throne.'

She laughed a bit.

'I'm serious,' he said, leaning in. 'You could teach me a thing or two.'

She laughed again, reaching out to cup his cheek. He turned his head and pressed his lips to her hand. Her heart sped up.

'Tristan,' she said again, voice quiet, 'whatever you're thinking of doing…' She trailed off as his hand caressed her thigh.

'You know, queens have subjects who would do anything to please them,' he said suggestively, a glint in his eye.

'Oh, yes?' she asked, her voice growing breathy, because his hand was on her inner thigh now.

'Shall I please you, my queen?' he asked.

'Oh, God,' she breathed. She squirmed a bit.

'Shall I?' he persisted.

'Kathryn's right outside,' she reminded him, though she did want to give in to him.

'Easily remedied. Kathryn?' he called, pressing the buzzer.

'Yes, Mr Gold?' came the prompt response.

'Take the rest of the afternoon off. There's nothing urgent that needs dealing with. I'll see you tomorrow.'

'Alright, Mr Gold. You have a good evening.'

'You too. There,' he said to Belle: 'problem solved. Now, are you going to let me worship you or not?'

'You'd better,' she growled, staring at him. He smirked and set to work.

It was lucky that Kathryn left early because there was no keeping Belle quiet.

0

The following Valentine's Day found them married. They'd had the wedding over the summer, in the forest near the cabin, by an old well that they'd found on a walk together. It had been a simple affair, with just them, Neal, Emma, Henry, Ariel, and Eric. Neal had been delighted, and played his role as best man with enthusiasm. He'd said he'd always known Belle would end up his stepmother, but, instead of it being awkward, it brought them all closer together. Emma was delighted too, and young Henry. He was glad his grandpa and Belle had gotten to know each other enough that they decided they wanted to be married to each other. Now they could be together forever, like Belle had said at Christmas.

Before the wedding, Gold had begun to wind down his business. Most of his clients would be working with Regina, who was paying him a kind of regular consultancy fee in exchange. It was a good bargain for both of them. Regina was grateful to her old mentor for helping establish her, and Gold was pleased that he would soon be able to walk away, while still having a very tidy sum coming in, as well as savings and investments to keep him and Belle comfortable for the rest of their lives. He'd promised Regina he'd be around should she need him, and she'd told him she would, because no one was better at those tricky contracts than him, and his name would always carry weight. It would be advantageous for her to keep connected with him. Kathryn, Gold's faithful assistant, would be splitting her time between him and Regina for a while yet, but, eventually, she would switch to working full time with Regina. Regina was pleased about that too. Kathryn had worked with Gold for ten years, and there wasn't much she didn't know about his clients. She would prove a valuable asset to Regina, and, of course, Kathryn was pleased to be so highly valued by Gold as to make her working with Regina a condition of their arrangement, with a sizeable salary increase too. All in all, everyone was happy.

Belle and Gold had taken a long honeymoon, travelling around Italy, and Gold would fall in love with his wife all over again every time she began a sentence with 'Did you know…'. She would often catch him looking fondly at her and say 'You know, you could just take a photograph', and he'd shake his head and say there was no need, because he'd remember how she looked in that moment forever. She'd smile at him and he'd look at her with so much desire in his eyes… It was a wonder they'd seen anything of Italy at all.

Gold had intended to take his wife away for Valentine's Day again, but Belle had surprised him by saying she'd rather stay home for this one.

'Let's go up to the cabin,' she'd suggested, 'just the two of us.'

'If that's what you really want,' he'd said, a little nonplussed. She'd loved their travels so far: he was surprised she wasn't jumping at the chance to go somewhere new. Still, Belle wanted to go to the cabin, so to the cabin they would go.

She was lying on the couch, reading, as he tended the fire. She hadn't been feeling well these past few days, and Gold thought it was perhaps for the best that they hadn't ventured far.

'How about some tea?' he suggested now, the fire taken care of.

Belle looked up. 'That would be lovely.'

Gold smiled and went to the kitchen. Belle watched him go, the excitement in her belly swooping again. She'd been trying to read her favourite book, the one her mother had first read to her, and one of the things she had been most eager to get back from her father, but she couldn't concentrate.

Last year, Tristan had surprised her with that magical trip and the proposal, but now…now it was her turn.

She called to her husband.

'What is it, sweetheart?' he asked, coming to her.

'Forget the tea for a bit and come here,' she requested, putting away her book and holding out her hand.

'Something wrong?' he asked, sitting on the edge of the couch beside her.

She sat up and took his hand. 'No,' she said, shaking her head, 'nothing's wrong, love. Do you know why I wanted to come here for Valentine's Day instead of going away?'

'No.'

'It was because I wanted to be here, where we shared our feelings for each other, where we became each other's.'

He smiled.

'And then we were married near here,' she went on, 'and now…'

'What?' he asked, wondering what she was getting at.

'You know, you're not the only one who's good at surprises,' she said, smiling.

He frowned. 'Belle, I'm sorry, but I can't figure out where you're going.'

'You really can't?' she asked.

'No,' he said, shaking his head, totally confused.

'I haven't been feeling great for a couple of days: have you wondered why?'

He shrugged. 'I figured you had a bug or something. You'd tell me if it was serious. You would, right?'

'Of course I would, but it's not a bug, or anything like that. I'm not sick at all, actually.'

'Then you're tired, run down,' he said. 'We should go to the sun somewhere. Maybe Spain—'

'Tristan,' she said, cutting him off. 'Can't you think of another reason that I might be a little under the weather?'

Gold thought about what she was trying to tell him. It surely wasn't that she was pregnant…

Belle smiled as she saw him dismiss the thought that came to him, but then he looked at her, hope growing in his eyes as he considered it again.

'Belle?' he breathed.

She nodded, smiling. 'I'm pregnant,' she confirmed. 'We're gonna have a baby!'

'Oh, Belle!' he cried, pulling her to him, tears springing to his eyes. 'A baby! How wonderful!'

They were both crying and laughing as they clung to each other.

Gold pulled back first. 'When?' he asked, his expression full of wonder.

'I don't have an exact date yet, but it'll be September. It probably happened some time around Christmas.' She smiled. 'Are you happy?'

He cupped her cheek. 'Oh, Belle… Sweetheart, I'm happier than I can say. I never dared hope, and then you came along, and I would daydream of you with our baby, our own little family. It's wonderful.'

'I'm so glad you're pleased,' she said, blinking away tears.

'I'm ecstatic!' he declared. 'But how are you feeling, my darling?' he asked tenderly.

'So happy,' she said, leaning into him as he wrapped an arm around her. 'I've always wanted a child, and now I get to have one with the most wonderful man in the world. You're a wonderful father to Neal, and you will be to our son too.'

'Our  _son_?' he asked.

'I think it's a boy,' she said softly. 'It's just a feeling I have.' She looked up at him, shrugging. 'I know it's too soon to tell, and I'll be happy with a girl too: I just feel that this one's a boy.'

He nodded. 'Well, boy or girl, I'm happy.' He placed his hand gently against her stomach. She held his hand there. 'Hello, little one,' he crooned, 'we can't wait to meet you.'

Belle smiled at him. 'I love you.'

He kissed her. 'And I love you.'

She kissed him, wrapping her arms around him. She was glad they had the house to themselves so they could celebrate.

'Sure you're feeling up to it?' Gold asked.

'Stop asking silly questions and kiss me,' she commanded.

'As you wish, Mrs Gold,' he returned, kissing her as he pushed her down onto the couch.

The house would be very full next Christmas, with them, Neal, Emma, Henry, and the new baby. What more could they want?

**The end - thank you for reading! :)**


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